Since the game’s inception over 150 years ago, injuries have been thrown out as excuses for poor performances and crushing defeats. Used by one-eyed fans clutching at straws. But if ever there was ever a time that a side could point the finger at a crippling injury list, that time is now.
 
The Gold Coast SUNS have been devastated by injury in the opening part of this season. And the plague hasn’t discriminated based on position or star power. Rather, it has swept out all but a handful of the best players and left a skeleton. A shadow of the side at its pure, unaffected best.
 
Not that Rodney Eade is moping or pointing the blame for the SUNS 1-6 start to the year at the casualty ward. The former Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans coach has spent more than half of his life inside a football club. He knows better than anyone inside Metricon Stadium the harsh reality of football.
 
But, the seasoned football mentor admits feeling aggrieved for the young, inexperienced players who are being thrown in the deep end simply due to necessity. Henry Schade and Jack Leslie, a pair with two games of experience each prior to Saturday night’s clash, were left to man the key posts in defence. A silver lining in the bleak situation is the invaluable experience Schade, Leslie and co are receiving during a bleak period in this football club’s existence.
 
“That’s where you feel for the young players who we are asking them to play out of their experience and depth a little bit,” Eade told the media during his post-match address on Saturday night.
 
“I know that Jesse Lonergan that was his third game in defence, we’ve spoken about Schade and Leslie their third games. So we’re asking players to do enormous roles.
 
“The positive side is it will be a good learning curve for them and I think the character especially of those three and some others as well they will learn from that.
 
“From our point of view we’ll take a positive and a chance to grow.”
 
Despite the sorry state of affairs currently engulfing the SUNS, Tom Lynch should return this week with Adam Saad and Jack Martin also a chance to get up, with Steven May and Nick Malceski the following week. And Gary Ablett may not be too far away either.
 
The injury toll couldn’t possibly get any worse than what it has been in recent weeks, but Eade isn’t seeking any sympathy. Returning players should boost the SUNS prospects in the coming weeks, regardless of the opposition.
 
“We’re getting thin on the ground to be honest. But we’ve just got to maintain the confidence. We’ve got to get something out of every week, we’ve got to try and grow from that,” Eade said.
 
“There’s nothing saying in the rule book that people have got to feel sorry for us. We’ve got to regroup and hopefully get some players back next week.”